Nimr's 8×8 RCV with a John Cockerill Defense's Cockerill 1030 unmanned turret as displayed at IDEX 2023. (Janes/Sonny Butterworth)
Nimr, part of the UAE's state-owned Edge Group, unveiled its Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) concept at IDEX 2023 being held in Abu Dhabi from 20 to 24 February.
Speaking to Janes , Abri Du Plessis, CEO of Nimr, described the RCV as a “concept to test user reaction” as “most users are still contemplating the exact use of unmanned vehicles”.
Two potential configurations of the RCV were displayed at IDEX 2023. The first consists of a full-scale testbed fitted with an 8×8 driveline and a John Cockerill Defense's (JCD's) Cockerill 1030 uncrewed turret armed with a 30 mm cannon, while the second was a scale model of a turreted 4×4 vehicle that would be small enough to be internally transported by a CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter.
Both versions of the vehicle are intended to have a modular construction to enable them to be adapted to perform different roles. In a promotional video playing alongside the concepts, Nimr proposed several versions of the 8×8 RCV, including a cargo or ammunition carrier, a fire support vehicle armed with a 30 mm cannon or 90 mm gun, a missile launcher, a surveillance vehicle, an unmanned aerial vehicle launcher, and a mobile power station.
According to specifications displayed by Nimr at IDEX 2023, the 8×8 version of the RCV has a combat weight of 23 tonnes and a payload capacity of 12 tonnes. It has a hybrid drive powerplant that develops 440 kW of power, and can propel the vehicle to a maximum speed of 110 km/h. When the vehicle is operating in electric-only mode, it has a maximum range of 50 km, but this is increased to 700 km in hybrid mode.
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